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My Plan to Get a Canon 7D Without Paying

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Obsessedwski
Posts: 2261 - Karma: 71
This is going to be long so just bare with me, I'll try for some sparknotes at the end.

Basically I've wanted a camera for quite a long time, and I'm actually decent at photography from using other people's cameras (portfolio: http://bit.ly/m6g1fm). It's high time I got my own though, and I decided to get myself a camera early this summer. Unlike normal people however, I have a habit of thinking around conventional means of getting a camera like "how can I make money to buy a camera", and thinking more along the lines of "what can I do to have them give me a camera for free?" and this is what I came up with:

There is a local family owned camera shop that I'm focusing on, called Kerrisdale Cameras (KC). Like most small, local, and family owned businesses they do not have much if any social media presence. This is the same case across the competition board, with none of the 10 local shops all not having anything on Twitter or Facebook. I believe this is an untapped opportunity for KC to establish an online presence, which would: drive sales, provide improved customer interaction and customer relationship management, and create an effective and simple avenue for focused, targeted promotion.

The best part is that this is all free to establish and maintain for KC. Now how this deal will work, is that I will establish and maintain (for 6 weeks) a Facebook page and a Twitter account for KC. I will also set certain "success" benchmarks that if reached, I get compensation. For example, if I reach 300 Facebook fans or Twitter Followers I would get a T2i, if I reach both 300 Facebook fans and 300 Twitter Followers I would get a Canon 7D.

The catch is that I only get compensated if I reach those benchmarks. If I don't, then the shop gets what I did for free. Why do I think this is a good deal for me? Of course it is a bit of a gamble, but this makes it risk-free for the shop to say yes, and forces me to get creative and work towards a specific goal. What happens to all my work if I don't succeed you say? Well I wouldn't get the camera, but I would take it as a learning experience — just by taking this on I would learn many lessons about how to utilize social media, and how to run a customer relationship management model online.

The Questions
1) Am I nuts? Does this make sense, and how do you think it'll work?
2) If your local camera shop had Twitter and Facebook, how would you expect it to operate? What sort of services and features would you like offered through those mediums?
3) For what purposes would you follow the Twitter account, or Facebook Page?
4) Any other suggestions?

Sparknotes I'm offering to set up and manage Facebook and Twitter pages for my local camera shop for free. The deal is, if I get 300 fans/followers I get a camera. If I don't reach it I'll just take it as a learning experience and give my services to the shop for free, thus making it risk free for the shop.

Also it'd be great if any shop owners on here (ski and other shops included) could give me feedback; how would you react if someone came into your shop and proposed a similar deal?
Aug 5 2011 5:39PM
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TaranItUp
Posts: 1313 - Karma: 802
Just from the sparknotes this sounds like a fantastic idea, once you get the site up put this in nsg and we will team up and get you that new camera!
Aug 5 2011 5:47PM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
Worth a shot, worst that happens is you don't get a 7d
Aug 5 2011 5:50PM
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Juice.Doctor
Posts: 2791 - Karma: 293
definitely a good idea. you should just prepare yourself and go and talk to the shop owner
Aug 5 2011 6:07PM
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proZach
Posts: 7163 - Karma: 919
twitter and facebook are bullshit ways of advertising. jus sayin. give it a shot I guess
Aug 5 2011 6:12PM
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.cam.
Posts: 1852 - Karma: 48
are you going to do it legit or make a "karma for likes" thread?
Aug 5 2011 6:12PM
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the.cheat
Posts: 2859 - Karma: 171
solid idea, dibs on pulling this on buffalo area camera shops lol
Aug 5 2011 6:12PM
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Obsessedwski
Posts: 2261 - Karma: 71
I want to do it legitimately, I have a couple ideas up my sleeve that I'm counting on getting me the exposure I need. Of course if you guys want to help me out that's great cause they have an online store as well, but I think I'm going to target the local market heavily.

proZack, why is Facebook and Twitter a bad form of advertisement? Just want to hear your opinion before I elaborate on why it's arguably the most effective.
Aug 5 2011 6:29PM
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Obsessedwski
Posts: 2261 - Karma: 71
And yeah feel free to take this idea and see if you can pull it off yourself - you have to know what you're doing though and dedicate some time to it for it to succeed, but at the end of the day if you approach it as an opportunity to learn from it's a win-win.
Aug 5 2011 6:30PM
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Keyjibbs
Posts: 1542 - Karma: 96
Calling social media a way of bullshit advertising is naive. Social media presence is almost required for companies to survive now. As for this idea, write up a professional proposal and talk to the owner. If they think it'll work you might get lucky but I definitely wouldn't rely on this plan to just get you free things for a little work.
Aug 5 2011 6:41PM
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proZach
Posts: 7163 - Karma: 919
I know I would never use facebook or twitter as a way of influencing a decision I'm about to make on a purchase. I just like the idea of a traditional website better than some half-ass facebook account. just my 0.02. but if it works, more power to ya
Aug 5 2011 6:45PM
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S.C
Posts: 3068 - Karma: 2,285
sounds like you're getting the steal of the century, thats sick! good luck!
Aug 5 2011 6:47PM
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alexat955
Posts: 2732 - Karma: 112
they aren't buying things off of Facebook, it is just for the company to advertise. and OP this is a great idea, but if I was the company owner what would be going through my head is "is the $1600 I am spending on the 7d worth what I will make up by advertising?" and for me personally the answer would be no considering the small percentage of the fb fans that will actually come in to make a purchase that wouldn't have normally. 300 fans is just too little, for something like a camera I would bank on having to get like 1000 fans.
Aug 5 2011 7:07PM
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Obsessedwski
Posts: 2261 - Karma: 71
Absolutely, I agree with you. If this shop didn't have any kind of online presence it would be questionable to set up a social media page before a website. However this particular shop does have a website and quite a good one at that, especially in comparison to their competitors - which is partly why I chose them, because it's clear they understand the importance of online marketing. (http://www.kerrisdalecameras.com/)

In this case the Twitter and Facebook would be the next step in effectively utilizing all the opportunities they have to expand and improve their business.
Aug 5 2011 7:10PM
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Obsessedwski
Posts: 2261 - Karma: 71
Yup I have a proposal written up already and it's ready to go, I'm just trying to gauge customer reaction and get some opinions before I go in so I know roughly what to expect and already have responses prepared.

While I do admit this idea originally started from my search for ways to get a camera in my hands, through the process of thinking it out and putting it down on paper it's evolved from a freebie-type deal to something that I want to take on as a learning experience - if I do get something out of it that's an added plus. My advantage is that I'm not using this to put food on my plate, therefore I am able to risk not getting compensation and merely taking away the experience as my compensation in the event that my project does not succeed.

Mainly, it's a challenge for myself to see how much I can do, to stretch my own boundaries of comfortability and abilities.
Aug 5 2011 7:14PM
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Obsessedwski
Posts: 2261 - Karma: 71
Right I do see where you're coming from, and part of the challenge is to be able to market this idea effectively enough for the owner to feel like the value of social media surpasses that of the camera. Part of my idea with Twitter would be to canvas tweets in Vancouver relating to photography, and directly addressing users that way to market products and services offered.

For example:

Bob: "Just broke my Sigma 28-70 lens :("

KCameras: "@Bob, come bring it in an we'll see if we can fix it for you, alternatively see our catalog of used equipment for possible replacements for cheap!"

I think that kind of targeted and direct marketing would more than make up for the cost of the compensation which may or may not be have to paid out depending on the results. If I only get 200 followers they would have been given this opportunity for absolutely nothing, I think its a positive enough gamble?
Aug 5 2011 7:24PM
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Chunter
Posts: 2050 - Karma: 1,894
Threads for how it ends up. You seem to have put a bunch of time, effort and thought into this and I respect that alot. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Aug 5 2011 8:55PM
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Shredability
Posts: 2756 - Karma: 501
Sounds like a good idea to me
Aug 5 2011 9:24PM
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JAHrig
Posts: 738 - Karma: 2,649
Interesting idea... although I do think a shop owner would have to be very very stupid to shell out 1700 bucks for someone to set them up a facebook. Maybe if you were designing them a nice website with an online shopping option, haha but 300 fans on facebook will not bring them that much income. good luck to ya though.
Aug 5 2011 9:31PM
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NJurkiewicz
Posts: 1597 - Karma: 697
this haha I would definitely support your decision!
Aug 5 2011 11:20PM
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inb4butthurt
Posts: 191 - Karma: 19
A camera...For only 300 fans? holy crap.



I will 'Like' it whenever it gets put up
Aug 5 2011 11:22PM
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.cam.
Posts: 1852 - Karma: 48
You guys realize it doesn't cost the shop owner $1700 for a 7d right?

Personally I think a facebook page for a company is great. Its an easier way to run customer relations and customer service. Also if people see how well this company treats there customers they may want to purchase from them more.

On another note you could have sections on the page where customers could post reviews or pictures they have taken with their gear,
Aug 6 2011 12:06AM
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Brock.
Posts: 5698 - Karma: 1,332
Dude... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR
Aug 6 2011 12:12AM
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Anti_Steeze
Posts: 1465 - Karma: 81
camera store...photo/video contests...makes sense to me. could even get elaborate and use monthly themes like the NS picture contests
Aug 6 2011 12:31AM
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alexat955
Posts: 2732 - Karma: 112
It basically does though when you factor in lost income if he just gives it away
Aug 6 2011 12:53AM
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JAHrig
Posts: 738 - Karma: 2,649
I know from working in the camera department at both best buy and a more local shop. The Markup on canon Slr's is usually only around 50-80 dollars. That means the shop is spending damn near what you buy it for. They make all their money on accessories.
Aug 6 2011 2:20AM
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apcaipse
Posts: 2168 - Karma: 25
http://fiverr.com/categories/social-marketing/order/latest/pages/1

Check that, you can pay $5 and have someone get 3000 likes on a page, and then pay $5 again to have someone tweet / support you to 19000 followers. Guaranteed 7d for $10.

Aug 6 2011 5:57AM
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hey-dude-its-me
Posts: 4238 - Karma: 412
if you have eyes and a brain then yes it is influencing your decision whether you want to acknowledge it or not. advertising in all forms works on some level and its not debatable.

Aug 6 2011 9:37AM
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207
Posts: 8969 - Karma: 3,846
swag dude, mad good idea tell me how it works
Aug 6 2011 6:13PM
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Obsessedwski
Posts: 2261 - Karma: 71
I think a lot of people are confusing my intentions for this project — of course I do want the camera (I made the thread title what it is to get views, I do understand it may have been misleading) but what I really want is the challenge.

A Facebook page is worthless simply by itself. What I'm proposing is the setup and management of the Facebook page and Twitter account. I have some experience with community engagement strategies, and I want to expand my knowledge and abilities through this project. Like someone said above I'd be proposing contests, regularly publishing reviews and discussion topics, promoting sales/products/services etc. and creating value from these social media outlets.

Now I'm aware of these "get X amount of followers/fans for $5" websites, but at the end of the day the intrinsic value of those fans aren't there, especially for this particular situation. This is a local shop and therefore need a local customer base, having 10,000 fans from across North America isn't going to help.

300 fans may not seem like a lot but when those fans are interacting with the page on a regular basis, marketing specific focuses to them and promoting with the aim of driving physical sales at the storefront etc. I do believe that it does create value enough to pay off the $1,700. FYI, the average number of Facebook "fans" a local establishment has, is around 160.

Anyways I'm going to go get this done either this weekend or next, I'll keep you guys updated on how it goes.
Aug 6 2011 6:38PM
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S.C
Posts: 3068 - Karma: 2,285
you should ask to get a 60d and a $600 lens instead of a 7d
Aug 6 2011 7:32PM
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las.
Posts: 1959 - Karma: 1,455
In my opinion you're asking for a bit much if you think a locally owned family business is going to award you a DSLR just for making 300 internet friends. Good luck though, kudos if you can pull it off.

p.s. get a 60d
Aug 6 2011 9:56PM
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las.
Posts: 1959 - Karma: 1,455
i agree with this though. are you going to be running the page or just setting it up for the shop?
Aug 6 2011 10:02PM
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Obsessedwski
Posts: 2261 - Karma: 71
I'd be running it for a predetermined length of time, after which I would give them the option of taking it over, (in which case I would support them by "teaching" the shop how to do it etc.) or having me continue to maintain it for a certain fee.
Aug 7 2011 2:58AM
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kzrstf
Posts: 2778 - Karma: 695
thats how i partially got my macbook, i made like 5 videos for a company, and they gave me my computer, plus 100 bucks
Aug 7 2011 12:40PM
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BoardSideDown
Posts: 547 - Karma: 254
This is a good idea, however if they agree to 300 friends on facebook for a t2i, they do not know much about facebook, 300 friends basically equals 10 friends that will actually contribute to the business now if they said more like 3,000 friends then they are thinking more clearly.

If you are able to get them to agree to 300 friends for a t2i you sir are one lucky guy, that would almost be stealing candy from a baby.

Right now with your goals I believe however the shop is going to flat out say NO.
its a down economy and they cannot afford to give one of their most profitable items for free.

Honestly if I was a shop I would say if you create a facebook page, and gain 3000 members and have people come into the store and buy things saying they were sent from facebook. Then I would consider some product, but honestly I would consider a camera unless the facebook brought in a lot of profits.

Since you do not have any proof that this will work to show the company it has worked before it will be harder that way as well.

So I say good luck you have a base of idea here,but need to think a little more critical, and setup a meeting with them to see if their interested to see if its worth your time rather then wasting your time if they flat out say no.


Aug 7 2011 1:59PM
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DG.3
Posts: 794 - Karma: 288
sweet idea, but you could get 300 page fans in a day if you really tried. more fans methinks
Aug 7 2011 6:04PM
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chris.G
Posts: 301 - Karma: 73
You're definitely not nuts, social media managers are making tons of money everywhere now.

What I would also do in addition to flyers and links is put a smartphone barcode on the fliers so people with smartphones can scan it and it takes them directly to the link. It helps with getting people to actually do it because as smartphones get smarter, people get lazier. Here's an example of a smartphone barcode if you've never seen one: http://www.currentconcierge.com/images/seo-ohio-qr-code.png

Good luck!
Aug 7 2011 8:34PM
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miroz
Posts: 10333 - Karma: 3,945
You didn't read the thread. You didn't read his post about what kind of likes those 300 people will be. They won't just be newschoolers kids, or just random friends around the country, because those obviously won't do the shop any good. They'll be local customers who all frequent and contribute to the page. Read his post and you'll realize why building that alliance with 300 local customers is worth 1700.

To OP: what a fantastic idea. I think this is really creative and innovative of you, to say the least. I recommend that you approach them ready to deal with their doubts and criticisms; they may not see something like this as applicable or necessary. You should be ready to dismiss those doubts and prove that your project will be worth its potential cost.

Good luck my friend, let us know how it goes.

-M
Aug 7 2011 10:25PM
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